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Little League asks Martinsville to repurpose Lester Field shelter for equipment storage; request tabled
Summary
A Little League representative asked the Martinsville Board of Works and Safety to repurpose a shelter house at Lester Field into enclosed storage to meet a rapid increase in participants. Board members asked staff to inspect the site and tabled the request to the next meeting.
John LaPasa, a representative of the Little League, told the Martinsville Board of Works and Safety on June 9 that the league is seeking to repurpose an existing shelter house at Lester Field into enclosed storage for larger field-maintenance equipment.
"We're looking to repurpose the shelter house...and looking to basically wrap it with bar metal, basically install 3 garage doors for additional storage for really larger equipment to manage the fields," LaPasa said. He told the board the league's enrollment has grown substantially and that "our footprint with Little League International has expanded by 70%."
The request drew questions from board members about current storage on the site, parking impacts and continued public use of the shelter. A board member said they did not "love the idea of taking away the shelter" because families and teams used it to shelter from rain and sun. LaPasa replied the league has run out of room for pallets of field conditioner, chalk and larger equipment and noted that reopening a second concession stand would displace current storage space.
Board members discussed alternatives including siting a new small pole barn, placing a shipping container temporarily, or reusing existing city storage boxes. Cost estimates mentioned during the discussion included roughly $20,000 for a new pole barn and prior purchases of storage sheds at about $7,800 and $6,800. City staff offered to inspect the site and check for underground utilities before the next meeting.
A motion to table the request until the next meeting so staff could inspect the site, evaluate locations and meet with league representatives was made and seconded; the motion carried. Board members agreed that Ron, Mac and the mayor would meet with league representatives to review options and report back.
Next steps: the board will inspect the Lester Field site, check for utilities and return the issue to the agenda at the next Board of Works and Safety meeting.
